Chapter 3C

Question 1

lazarus and folkmans transactional model of stress and coping

Answer 1

Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping proposes that stress involves an
interaction between an individual and their environment (transaction) and that a stress response requires
an evaluation (appraisal) of the demands of the stressor and one’s ability to cope. It is based on the notion
that individuals appraise situations differently because they each have different experiences and therefore
will have different abilities to cope with situations.
includes primary appraisal and secondary appraisal

Question 2

primary appraisal (substage 1)

Answer 2

• The initial process of quickly evaluating the situation/stimulus, and the
  kind of stress is may cause
• The three ways a situation/stimulus can be appraised include:
• Irrelevant (‘This is not important’)
• Benign-positive (‘This is good’, or feeling neutral about it)
• Stressful (‘This is stressful’)

Question 3

primary appraisal (substage 2)

Answer 3

• If a situation/stimulus is appraised as STRESSFUL, we now
  appraise and label the stressor according to the type of stress
  it causes.
• This can be appraised as:
• Harm/loss
• Threat
• Challenge

Question 4

harm/loss

Answer 4

• Harm/loss – The stressor has caused damage, such as an illness or
  poor test result; for example, ‘I just failed a major test.’

Question 5

threat

Answer 5

Threat – The stressor will potentially cause damage in the future,
for example, ‘I might fail the next major test.’

Question 6

challenge

Answer 6

Challenge – The stressor is an opportunity for personal growth or
positive change, for example, ‘I didn’t do well on the practice test
but, with a bit of hard work, I’ll do better next time.’

Question 7

secondary appraisal

Answer 7

• After initial evaluation about the nature of the stressor,
  individuals will evaluate the resources required and ability to
  cope with a stressor
• In secondary appraisal, we ask “Can I cope?”
• Stress will only occur if a person deems that they do not have the
  resources to cope with the stressor.
• If the individual thinks they do have the resources to cope, then
  stress is reduced or removed.

Question 8

Coping strategies in Secondary Appraisal

Answer 8

Two different kinds of coping
strategies individuals may use to
deal with a stressor are:
Emotion-focused coping: coping
strategies that target the
emotional components of a
stressor, dealing with it indirectly
rather than confronting its source.
Problem-focused coping: coping
strategies that directly target the
source of the stressor, aiming to
reduce it in a practical way.

Question 9

emotion focused coping strategies

Answer 9

• wishful thinking
• denial
• refraiming
• optimism
• venting emotions
• meditation or distraction

Question 10

problem-focused coping strategies

Answer 10

• seeking information or advice
• taking action
• time managment

Question 11

strengths

Answer 11

• the model emphasises the psychological component of stress
• it explains variability in human stress responses through emphasising the subjective process of appraisal
  experiments were done on humans so are more generalisable

Question 12

weakness

Answer 12

• an appraisal is a subjective process, it is difficulty to test the propositions of this model through experimental research
• as appraisal is often immediate and unconscious, it is difficult to isolate primary and secondary appraisal for experimental purposes
• it does not account for physiological aspects of stress as much as the GAS model